WORLD OF WELLNESS

Authors & Editorial Board

About the Authors

Bonnie Nygard, MEd, is an associate dean of academic affairs for the Community and Technical College at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). Before she held this position, Bonnie was a faculty member and coordinator of the physical education and recreation department at UAA for more than 15 years. Bonnie's undergraduate degree is in physical education (K–12), and she earned her master's degree in adult education, with an emphasis in exercise science, from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She is the coauthor of the Innovative Fitness Connections secondary physical fitness curriculum and resource package that has been adopted in schools across the United States and internationally. Bonnie also coauthored The Ultimate Guide of One-Minute Workouts, Making the Fitness Connection, and When Cody Became a Mouse Potato, the first children's book sponsored by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Bonnie is an invited consultant to school districts, where she assists teachers in developing creative and effective strategies for health, wellness, and fitness education.

Tammy Green, MPH, is the Section Chief for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion for the Alaska Division of Public Health. Tammy oversees and provides leadership to 12 programs including Obesity Prevention, Physical Activity, Nutrition, Diabetes Prevention and School Health. Prior to taking over as Section Chief, Tammy worked for the Alaska Department of Health as the school health program manager, a position in which she has collaborated with the Alaska Department of Education to increase coordinated school health programs throughout the state to deliver services and training to school districts and teachers. Tammy was recently invited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) to speak at their annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) conference. Under Tammy’s guidance, Alaska became the first state to collect statewide weighted YRBS data using active parental consent. Tammy received her undergraduate degree in health and physical education from the University of Northern Colorado and her master’s of public health (MPH), with an emphasis in health education and promotion, from Loma Linda University in southern California.

Previously Tammy was a health education specialist with the State of Alaska, Section of Epidemiology, managing the State Obesity Prevention and Control Program. Tammy received her undergraduate degree in health and physical education from the University of Northern Colorado and her master's of public health (MPH), with an emphasis in health education and promotion, from Loma Linda University in southern California. Tammy has worked for the Alaska Department of Health as the school health program manager, a position in which she has collaborated with the Alaska Department of Education to increase coordinated school health programs throughout the state to deliver services and training to school districts and teachers.

Susan Koonce, MEd, has more than 20 years of teaching experience ranging from preschool to adult education. Her primary teaching emphasis is working with elementary children with learning disabilities. Sue earned her undergraduate degree in special education from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh and has a master's degree in special education from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Sue is currently a special education teacher in the Anchorage School District. She is the coauthor of When Cody Became a Mouse Potato, the first children's book sponsored by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Sue is an invited presenter at the national level, where she shares effective strategies for integrating physical activity across the curriculum.

World of Wellness Editorial Board

Human Kinetics would like to acknowledge the following educators and health professionals for reviewing the World of Wellness Health Education series and imparting their opinions, recommendations, and ideas.

Jeff Carpenter, MS, is the former chair of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) Physical Best Committee and is a Physical Best national expert and trainer. He has 30 years of teaching and administrative experience in physical education in grades K–12, and he has authored four books on K–12 physical education programs and activities. Carpenter has presented activity sessions at 14 national AAHPERD conventions, at numerous state and regional physical education conferences, and at conferences and conventions for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport, and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport.

Previously, he has served as a state supervisor for health and physical education for the state of Washington, has consulted with school districts across the nation, and has been an adjunct professor at six different universities, teaching both undergraduate and graduate classes in physical education activities, theory, and philosophy.

Carpenter has received numerous awards and honors, including National Association for Sport and Physical Education Channing Mann Award for the physical education administrator of the year (2002). He is currently the director of health, fitness, and athletic programs and health and intervention services for the Olympia School District in Olympia, Washington.

Barbara A. Huscher, MLA, MEd, MA, speaks and mentors to administrators, teachers, students, and parents. She plans and presents professional development and directly teaches sexuality education and violence prevention to grades K–12 for Boston Public Schools. Barbara is a graduate of Pine Manor College and the University of Kansas. She holds three master's degrees: MLA from Baker University, MEd from Lesley University, and MA from the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

Keith LaVine has worked in the Duval County (Florida) Public School System for 20 years. He has worked in the physical education field for all of those 20 years. His duties and responsibilities include overseeing the coordination and implementation of the physical education curricula and writing portions of the bicycle safety program. He has been influential in the development and organization of several unique and innovative programs involving fitness, obesity prevention, and overall wellness of each student. Keith has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Marcy LaVine has worked in the Duval County (Florida) Public Schools System for 20 years. She has worked in the prevention field for 16 of those 20 years. For the past nine years, Marcy has worked as a district-level resource teacher in health education. Her duties and responsibilities include overseeing the coordination and implementation of health education curricula, preparing and installing substance use and violence prevention materials, and observing in classrooms and providing technical assistance to classroom teachers. She is also instrumental in the planning, organizing, and conducting of in-service training for school personnel, parents, and community members. She develops and conducts awareness programs on the dangers of ATOD, violence, and other health issues. Marcy has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Sharon Sterchy, MS, EdD, is a nationally recognized curriculum specialist in the area of physical education and wellness. Sharon has served the education profession for 32 years. She holds a bachelor of science degree in health and physical education from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, master of science degrees in elementary and secondary school administration from Southwest Missouri State University, and a doctorate of education degree in curriculum instruction from the University of Houston.

During her 32 years in education, Sharon has taught children from preschool to college and has also served as a middle school assistant principal. Sharon is currently serving as the program director for physical education and wellness in the Aldine Independent School District, Houston, Texas. Aldine ISD's physical education program has been featured in USA Today, Education Week, Better Homes and Gardens, Health, Christian Science Monitor, Houston Chronicle, CQ Researcher, and NBC Nightly News.

Sharon and her husband, Richard, live in Klein, Texas. They have been married for 29 years and have one son.